More Than You Can See
by Lt. Basil
Summary: Takes place during The Southern Raiders. After setting up camp to take a short break on an uninhabited island, Zuko and Katara have a short heart-to-heart talk. Zutara friendship - no romance.


**A/N: Okay, so this one didn't really turned out the way that I planned. Can't say that this is the best work I've ever done (I made Zuko a little bit OOC on accident), but I figured, hey, might as well post it, anyway. Unfortunately, my Avatar muse is not on as strong as my FMA and KH muses are. Hope it's not too bad.**

Silence, Zuko could handle. During his time as an exile, he had endured quite a bit of it. By now, he was so used to it that it was almost the norm for him. That being said, he would have been far more comfortable if the journey from that retirement island had been spent without a sound. Katara's uncontrolled sobbing was painful to listen to.

Of course, he couldn't really blame her for reacting in such a way; he couldn't even _count _the number of times that he had broken down after an emotionally trying experience. Except… the young waterbender was not showing signs of stopping anytime soon. The very moment that they had moved out of Khan Ra's earshot, she had started sobbing her heart out, curling up into a tight ball in a feeble attempt to shut out the rest of the world. Zuko had been at loss. In all his memory, he couldn't not remember ever having to comfort someone in such a low emotional state. Though it didn't take much to get Ty Lee to cry, she never did so for a good reason. Mai didn't cry, or if she did, it was never in front of him, and Azula… well, Azula was Azula.

But Katara was practically hyperventilating from so many tears, and for a very, very good reason. And to be perfectly honest, it scared him. _She _scared him. For all of her threats, jibes, and the abuse that she heaped onto him, she really was no less untouchable than he was. It was terrifying.

He needed to get her somewhere where she could sit for a while and calm down. The camp was over two hours away, still – too far away to do any good; she needed a break _now._ Glancing from side to side, scanning the water beneath them, the firebender spotted a small island a short distance off. It was very tiny, no more than a mile across, and had a rock structure that was ideal for sheltering them from the elements. As an added bonus, there was no sign of any inhabitants that he could see. Perfect.

Since he _still _didn't know how to guide Appa, he patted the bison's neck and pointed at the miniscule land mass, hoping that he'd understand the gesture. Luckily for them, he did, altering his course accordingly and lowering his altitude. With that taken care of, Zuko climbed down from his perch into the saddle and shook Katara. As she raised her bloodshot eyes to look at him, he stated, in as gentle a voice as he could muster, "We'll be landing soon. Be ready to get off."

"Are we there already?" she sniffled, sounding hopeful. Obviously, she wanted to get back as soon as possible so that Aang could comfort her. _Too bad she's stuck with me, _Zuko though glumly. _I'm not cut out for this…_

"No," he replied kindly, as if he were speaking to a frightened child."We're just taking a short break, okay? Spirits know we both need it."

Katara managed a weak smile, one that did not succeed in making her look any less miserable, and nodded as a fresh batch of tears oozed from her eyes. Smiling in encouragement, Zuko patted her shoulder awkwardly and retreated back to his perch on Appa's head. "Think she'll be okay, Appa?" he asked vacantly, not really thinking about the fact that he was talking to a _bison. _Said bison lowed quietly in response to his question. Zuko snorted. "I wish that I shared your optimism."

Several minutes later, they touched down on the surface of the island. While Katara climbed down from Appa's head and slumped down onto the stone ground, her comrade stayed up in the saddle and rummaged through the small stash of supplies. Eventually, he dropped down as well, spoils in hand, and moved over to assist the waterbender. Carefully, he lent her his shoulder and half-carried her to the face of a large rock, which he laid her back against. Crawling about seven feet away from the girl, he spread out some dry wood and started it on fire with a snap of his wrist. Right before he plopped himself down on the side of the campfire that was opposite to her, her crouched beside her and draped a woolen blanket over her shoulders. She pulled it around herself wordlessly, staring off into space. Deeming his work done, Zuko took his spot across from her in complete silence.

They sat that way for a while, neither speaking, both lost in their own thoughts as they stared in the flames. Gradually, Katara's tears dried, to Zuko's intense relief; but still, neither of them said a word. It wasn't as if such a practice was unusual for them – they weren't exactly _friends, _after all, and therefore, had no obligations to speak to each other beyond what was necessary. Besides, it was better than arguing- Zuko, at least, thought so. Apparently, though, Katara was not enjoying the silence this time around.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Zuko sighed, absently stirring around the fire with his finger. There was the unavoidable question.

"I already told you that I know what it's like to lose a mother," he replied quietly. "Everything I told you back at Ba Sing Se was true, whether you choose to believe it or not." Raising his head, he added, "You needed closure, right? I get that. Besides… I thought, if I helped you with this… I could prove to you that I really have changed…"

Sighing, Katara looked down at her hands, carefully avoiding his gaze. "Changed?" she murmured softly. "Yeah, I can tell you're a bit different than before. Obviously not enough so to choose to do the right thing when given the chance," she added savagely. Burning blue eyes were raised to meet his golden. "Just tell me this; why did you do it?"

"Katara, do you know what it's like to be _shunned _by your own family?" he demanded, eyes shimmering with intense pain. "To be driven out, rejected, pushed off, and for what? One _tiny _little misstep. Just _one _meeting where you talked out of turn – and for that, they hurt you, they _humiliate _you, and they send you away, saying that you can't come back unless you deliver the Avatar to them." Tears were streaming down his face now. He hadn't meant to cry – he hated it when he cried in front of other people, let alone people like _her, _who hated his guts. But there was no stopping it now. "Azula told me that if I helped her, I could come back. _Think _about it, Katara. I was offered back the _one _thing that I'd always wanted – my home, and my family. It may have been wrong – and I won't deny that it was – but give me a break! I'm still only _seventeen._"

Katara glanced away, tugging on the edges of the blanket self-consciously, but made no reply. Zuko was indignant.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I'm not quite as _bad _as you think that I am?" he spat. "That maybe, just maybe, I'm just a kid like the rest of you? A scared kid who's still having trouble doing the right thing? Has that _ever _crossed your mind?" Scathing anger dominated his whole expression, making Katara wince and look away. Seeing the gesture, he forced himself to soften up a bit. "Just because I've made some mistakes, doesn't mean that I'm a monster. Katara, please… just… try to understand… just for five minutes, okay?"

Avoiding his gaze, she bit her lip. "Zuko, I… I know you're not a monster." Huddling as close to the rock wall as she could, she stated, "I know that you think that I hate you, but… I don't. Really, I don't. In my whole life, I can only think of two people that I've ever hated, and honestly, you're not one of them. Can't say I like you, and I definitely don't trust you, but… I don't hate you, either." Sighing, she added, "But I can't forgive you yet. I'm closer, but… I need more time. I really appreciate you coming here with me, though."

"How much time?" Zuko grunted, crossing his arms.

"I'm not sure… I'll let you know later." She smiled weakly. "I know you're not all bad – I've always known, I guess, but I was too angry to admit it. My head's a little clearer now, though."

"Well… thanks, I guess?" It was apparent that he wasn't entirely sure how to react to that. Glancing up at the sky in search of a distraction, he stated, "Well, if we want to be back before sundown, we ought to rest now. Good night."

"Right."

As the two of them moved to their separated places to sleep, Katara could almost swear that she saw Zuko smile.

**Like I said, not my best work. I hope you liked it anyway. And sorry about the OOC-ness; I haven't watched this show in a while, so I'm a little rusty with writing these characters.**


End file.
